Fungal and oomycetous pathogens can cause significant damage to a wide variety of commercially important plant varieties including crops and ornamental plants. Such pathogens can kill plants, reduce yield, reduce plant strength (e.g., decrease resistance to lodging), cause symptoms of mineral deficiency, and predispose plants to infection by other pathogens. As such, there is great interest in developing compositions and methods for control of fungal and oomycetous pathogens.
Fungal and oomycetous pathogens are typically controlled by use of synthetic chemicals (e.g., fungicides). However, effective synthetic chemicals can be dangerous, toxic, and expensive. In some countries, certain fungicides or anti-oomycetous chemicals have been restricted or banned for these and other reasons. Therefore, there is great interest in developing fungal control methods and compositions that do not rely on synthetic chemical fungicides or anti-oomycetous compounds, or reduce the use of such chemicals.
Biocontrol agents are a promising candidate for reducing or eliminating the need for such chemicals. Biocontrol agents are typically microorganisms, such as bacteria, or one or more products thereof, that are applied to a plant or a plant propagation material (e.g., soil) to control a pathogen. However, there are a limited number of commercially available biocontrol agents. For these and other reasons, there remains a need to further develop methods and compositions containing biocontrol agents for the control of pathogenic fungi and Oomycetes.